The New Nation - Internet Edition

BSS, Rajshahi

Experts at a seminar here on Thursday said open-pit mining is better than the underground one for extracting coal in the northern region.

"Maximum 90 percent coal could be extracted from Barapukuria and Phulbaria coalmines of Dinajpur through the open-pit method, but only 15 percent is hardly possible through the underground one," said Professor Dr Golam Sabbir Sattar Tapu and Professor Dr Chowdhury Quamruzzaman of the Geology and Mining Department of Rajshahi University at the seminar.

In this context, they viewed that they have around 2,500 million tons of coal reserve in the two mines and said importance should be given to taking urgent steps to extract the coal using modern technology for industrialisation in the northwestern Bangladesh.

They said the extracted coal would help power generation in the region. Quoting different researches conducted at both home and abroad, they said, "Underground method is more harmful than the open-pit for environment and human being."

Not only that, they said the abandoned coal in the underground mining system can cause huge flames at the adjacent areas side by side with landslide.

"Our neighbour India has been extracting coal successfully without affecting environment and agricultural ecosystem," they said adding that the caved area is being dumped with fertile land subsequently and maintaining a sound landscape there with forestation and crop farming.

Rajshahi Bonsai Society (RBS) arranged the seminar titled "Uses of eco-friendly natural resources in industrialisation in Northern Bangladesh" at the conference hall of Rajshahi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (RCCI).

With RBS President Mahfuz-e-Towheed in the chair, the seminar was addressed, among others, by RCCI Director Khandaker Hafizur Rahman and Assistant Professors Rabiul Islam and Omar Faruque of Ahsan Ullah University of Science and Technology.

Speakers said the economic activities of the region could not be bolstered without rapid industrialisation and exploration of alternative fuel resources has become essential for the purpose as the natural gas resources is gradually becoming limited.